The focus this month for Nursing Update is breast cancer and mental health. Last month I noted that in
the continuum of womens health, lesbian health has essentially been left off the agenda. In my training, if one thing was mentioned about lesbian health it was around breast cancer and that lesbians and nuns were vulnerable! (those who may not breast feed before the age of 35). While nuns might not have sex, lesbians certainly do have sex. The other remnant of my training was that gays and lesbians may need mental healthcare!

Chemotherapy causes changes in the brain's metabolism and blood flow that can last as long as 10 years, a discovery that may explain the mental fog and confusion that affect many cancer survivors, researchers said on Thursday.

The public is bombarded with messages about diet and cancer prevention. Unfortunately, the advice is pretty inconsistent. One day a diet prevents cancer, the next day it doesn't. In the early '90s, beta carotene (a vitamin A precursor present in fruits and vegetables) was said to prevent lung cancer. But several years later, headlines read, Beta carotene pills yield no benefit (The Post, 1996). And while people have been told for years to eat a high-fiber diet to reduce the risk of colon cancer, recently we were told High-fiber diets are not anti-cancer miracle (Montreal Gazette, 2005).

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Younger women may be able to take hormone replacement therapy without raising their risk of heart disease, U.S. researchers reported on Monday in a study aimed at reducing some of the confusion surrounding HRT.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Younger women may be able to take hormone replacement therapy without raising their risk of heart disease, U.S. researchers reported on Monday in a study aimed at reducing some of the confusion surrounding HRT.

A MAJOR ingredient of curry powder helps stop the spread of breast cancer, scientists have discovered, in research that could lead to a new way of treating people in the advanced stages of the disease. Texas-based researchers found that curcumin, the main ingredient of turmeric, inhibits the spread of breast cancer into the lungs and improves the effectiveness of current remedies.